Gilbert is a

given name A given name (also known as a forename or first name) is the part of a personal name quoted in that identifies a person, potentially with a middle name as well, and differentiates that person from the other members of a group (typically a f ...

of Norman-French origin, itself from Germanic ''Gisilberht'' or ''Gisalberht''. Original spellings included ''Gislebert'', ''Guilbert'' and ''Gilebert''. The first element, ''Gil-'', comes from Germanic ''gīsil'', meaning "shaft of an arrow" or ''gisal'' "pledge, hostage", while the second element, ''-bert'' comes from Germanic ''-behrt'', short form of ''beraht'', meaning "bright" or "famous". The name spread in France and was introduced to

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

by the

Normans The Normans (Norman language, Norman: ''Normaunds''; ; ) were a population arising in the medieval Duchy of Normandy from the intermingling between Norsemen, Norse Viking settlers and locals of West Francia. The Norse settlements in West Franc ...

, where it was popular during the Middle Ages. Variant spellings have evolved throughout Europe, including the Iberian/Italian version '' Gilberto'' and, as was the custom across Europe, given a

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

language version ''Gilbertus'', to be used alongside a person's native variant. The diminutives ''Gil'', ''Gillie'' and Bert eventually became popular as a standalone given name or

nickname A nickname, in some circumstances also known as a sobriquet, or informally a "moniker", is an informal substitute for the proper name of a person, place, or thing, used to express affection, playfulness, contempt, or a particular character trait ...

. '' Gilberte'' is the feminized version of the name. ''Gilbert'', with variant spellings, is also used as a

surname In many societies, a surname, family name, or last name is the mostly hereditary portion of one's personal name that indicates one's family. It is typically combined with a given name to form the full name of a person, although several give ...

(see

Gilbert (surname) Gilbert is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: *Adrian Gilbert (born 1954), British author and military historian *Alan Gilbert (Australian academic) (1944–2010), Australian, President and BR Vice Chancellor of the University of M ...

Translations

Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...

: غيلبرت * Belarusian: Гілберт (Hilbiert) *

Bengali Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to: *something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia * Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region * Bengali language, the language they speak ** Bengali alphabet, the w ...

: গিলবার্ট (Gilabārṭa) *

Chinese Simplified Simplified Chinese characters are one of two standardized character sets widely used to write the Chinese language, with the other being traditional characters. Their mass standardization during the 20th century was part of an initiative by th ...

: 吉尔伯特 (Jí'ěr bó tè) *

Chinese Traditional Traditional Chinese characters are a standard set of Chinese character forms used to write Chinese languages. In Taiwan, the set of traditional characters is regulated by the Ministry of Education and standardized in the ''Standard Form of ...

: 吉爾伯特 (Jí'ěr bó tè) * English: Gilbert * French: Gilbert *

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

: Gilbert * Gujarati: ગિલ્બર્ટ (Gilbarṭa) *

Hebrew Hebrew (; ''ʿÎbrit'') is a Northwest Semitic languages, Northwest Semitic language within the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family. A regional dialect of the Canaanite languages, it was natively spoken by the Israelites and ...

: גילברט *

Hindi Modern Standard Hindi (, ), commonly referred to as Hindi, is the Standard language, standardised variety of the Hindustani language written in the Devanagari script. It is an official language of India, official language of the Government ...

: गिल्बर्ट (Gilbarṭ) * Indonesian: Gilbert *

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

: Gilberto *

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

: ギルバート (Girubāto) *

Kannada Kannada () is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly in the state of Karnataka in southwestern India, and spoken by a minority of the population in all neighbouring states. It has 44 million native speakers, and is additionally a ...

: ಗಿಲ್ಬರ್ಟ್ (Gilbarṭ) *

Korean Korean may refer to: People and culture * Koreans, people from the Korean peninsula or of Korean descent * Korean culture * Korean language **Korean alphabet, known as Hangul or Korean **Korean dialects **See also: North–South differences in t ...

: 길버트 (Gilbeoteu) * Lithuanian: Gilbertas *

Macedonian Macedonian most often refers to someone or something from or related to Macedonia. Macedonian(s) may refer to: People Modern * Macedonians (ethnic group), a nation and a South Slavic ethnic group primarily associated with North Macedonia * Mac ...

: Гилберт *

Marathi Marathi may refer to: *Marathi people, an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group of Maharashtra, India **Marathi people (Uttar Pradesh), the Marathi people in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh *Marathi language, the Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Mar ...

: गिल्बर्ट (Gilbarṭa) *

Mongolian Mongolian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Mongolia, a country in Asia * Mongolian people, or Mongols * Bogd Khanate of Mongolia, the government of Mongolia, 1911–1919 and 1921–1924 * Mongolian language * Mongolian alphabet * ...

: Гилберт (Gilbyert) * Nepali: गिल्बर्ट (Gilbarṭa) *

Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...

: گیلبرت * Portuguese: Gilberto *

Russian Russian(s) may refer to: *Russians (), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *A citizen of Russia *Russian language, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages *''The Russians'', a b ...

: Гилберт *

Serbo-Croatian Serbo-Croatian ( / ), also known as Bosnian-Croatian-Montenegrin-Serbian (BCMS), is a South Slavic language and the primary language of Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Montenegro. It is a pluricentric language with four mutually i ...

: Gìlbert / Гѝлберт *

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

: Gilberto *

Tamil Tamil may refer to: People, culture and language * Tamils, an ethno-linguistic group native to India, Sri Lanka, and some other parts of Asia **Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka ** Myanmar or Burmese Tamils, Tamil people of Ind ...

: கில்பர்ட் (Kilparṭ) *

Telugu Telugu may refer to: * Telugu language, a major Dravidian language of South India ** Telugu literature, is the body of works written in the Telugu language. * Telugu people, an ethno-linguistic group of India * Telugu script, used to write the Tel ...

: గిల్బర్ట్ (Gilbarṭ) * Thai: กิลเบิร์ต (Kilbeir̒) * Turkish: Jilbert, Jilber * Ukrainian: Гілберт (Hilbert) *

Urdu Urdu (; , , ) is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in South Asia. It is the Languages of Pakistan, national language and ''lingua franca'' of Pakistan. In India, it is an Eighth Schedule to the Constitution of Indi ...

: گلبرٹ *

Yiddish Yiddish, historically Judeo-German, is a West Germanic language historically spoken by Ashkenazi Jews. It originated in 9th-century Central Europe, and provided the nascent Ashkenazi community with a vernacular based on High German fused with ...

: גילבערט (Gilbert)

People with the name

* Saint Gilbert (disambiguation), multiple persons * Gilbert (Archdeacon of Lismore), early 13th-century Irish Catholic priest *

Gilbert, Count of Brionne Gilbert (or Giselbert) de Brionne, Count of Eu and of Brionne ( – ), was an influential nobleman in the Duchy of Normandy in Northern France.Deck, S. (1954). Le comté d'Eu sous les ducs. In Annales de Normandie (Vol. 4, No. 2, pp. 99-116 ...

(c. 1000–c. 1040), French noble *

Gilbert, Count of Gravina Gilbert was a Normans, Norman Count of Gravina from 1159 until 1167. His father Bertrand was the illegitimate son of Rotrou III, Count of Perche. He was a cousin of Margaret of Navarre, the King of Sicily, queen of Sicily. He arrived in Sicily somet ...

(fl. 1159–1167), Norman French noble in Italy * Gilbert, Count of Montpensier (1443–1496), French noble *

Gilbert of Glenluce Gilbert (died 1253) was a 13th-century Cistercian monk, abbot and bishop. His first appearance in the sources occurs under the year 1233, for which year the ''Chronicle of Melrose'' reported that "Sir Gilbert, the abbot of Glenluce, resigned his ...

(died 1253), Scottish, 13th-century Cistercian monk, abbot and bishop *

Gilbert of Sempringham Gilbert of Sempringham (c. 1085 – 4 February 1189) was an English Catholic who founded the Gilbertine Order. He was the only medieval Englishman to found a conventual order, mainly because the Cîteaux Abbey declined his request to assist hi ...

(c. 1083–1190), the only Englishman to found a monastic order *

Gilbertus Anglicus Gilbertus Anglicus (or Gilbert of England, also known as ''Gilbertinus''; c. 1180 – c. 1250) was a medieval English physician. He is known chiefly for his encyclopedic work, the ''Compendium of Medicine'' (''Compendium Medicinæ''), most probabl ...

or Gilbert of England (c. 1180 – c. 1250), English physician *

Gilbert Arenas Gilbert Jay Arenas Jr. ( ; born January 6, 1982) is an American former professional basketball player. Arenas attended Grant High School in the Valley Glen district of Los Angeles, and accepted a scholarship offer to the University of Arizona l ...

(born 1982), American professional basketball player *

Gilbert Bécaud François Gilbert Léopold Silly (24 October 1927 – 18 December 2001), known professionally as Gilbert Bécaud (), was a French singer, composer, pianist and actor, known as "Monsieur 100,000 Volts" for his energetic performances. His best-know ...

(1927–2001), French singer, composer, pianist and actor *

Gilbert Brown Gilbert Jesse Brown (born February 22, 1971) is an American former professional American football, football nose tackle who played for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (1993–99, 2001–03), Brown played 125 Packers games ...

(born 1971), American football player * Gilbert Brulé (born 1987), Canadian ice hockey player *

Gilbert Buatère Gilbert Buatère (c. 985 – 1 October 1018) was one of the first Norman adventurers in the Mezzogiorno. He was the eldest son of a petty, but rich, lord of Carreaux, near Avesnes-en-Bray in the region of Rouen. Carreaux gives his family, th ...

, Norman adventurer, one of the principal commanders of

Battle of Cannae (1018) The Battle of Cannae took place in 1018 between the Byzantines under the Catepan of Italy Basil Boioannes and the Lombards under Melus of Bari.John Beeler (1971) ''Warfare in Feudal Europe, 730–1200''. Cornell University Press. pp. 65–66. ...

Gilbert Bundy Gilbert Bundy (1911 – November 21, 1955) was an American cartoonist and illustrator, particularly for ''Esquire'', ''Life'', ''Judge'', and ''The Saturday Evening Post'' magazines. He killed himself on the 12th anniversary of a deeply traumat ...

(1911–1955), American cartoonist and illustrator * Sir Gilbert Thomas Carter, administrative officer in the Royal Navy and a colonial official for the British Empire, administrator for Gambia, governor for the Lagos Colony, governor for The Bahamas and Barbados and governor for Trinidad and Tobago *

Gilbert Cates Gilbert Cates ( né Katz; June 6, 1934 – October 31, 2011) was an American film director and television producer, director of the Geffen Playhouse, a member of Cates/Doty Productions, and founding dean of the UCLA School of Theater, Film an ...

(1934–2011), American film director and television producer * Gilbert Cavan (died 1420), Scottish cleric *

G. K. Chesterton Gilbert Keith Chesterton (29 May 1874 – 14 June 1936) was an English author, philosopher, Christian apologist, journalist and magazine editor, and literary and art critic. Chesterton created the fictional priest-detective Father Brow ...

(Gilbert Keith Chesterton, 1874–1936), English writer *

Gilbert Crispin Gilbert Crispin ( 1055 – 1117) was a Christian author and Anglo-Norman monk, appointed by Archbishop Lanfranc in 1085 to be the abbot, proctor and servant of Westminster Abbey, England. Gilbert became the third Norman Abbot of Westminster to ...

(c. 1055–1117), Anglo-Norman monk appointed abbot, proctor, and servant of Westminster Abbey *

Gilbert Cruz Gilbert Cruz is an American critic currently serving as editor of ''The New York Times Book Review''. Cruz was born and raised in The Bronx and started his journalism career at ''The Tuscaloosa News''. He next wrote for ''Entertainment Weekly'' an ...

(born 1980), Puerto Rican professional wrestler *

Gilbert de Beauregard Robinson Gilbert de Beauregard Robinson, MBE (3 June 1906 – 8 April 1992) was a Canadian mathematician most famous for his work on combinatorics and representation theory of the symmetric groups, including the Robinson-Schensted algorithm. Biography Gi ...

(1906–1992), Canadian mathematician * Gilbert de Chambrun (1909–2009), French politician *

Gilbert de Clare, 1st Earl of Pembroke Gilbert Fitz Gilbert de Clare (6 January 1148), was created Earl of Pembroke in 1138.He was called 'Strongbow' but his son Richard is much more readily associated with that nickname. Life Born at Tonbridge, Gilbert de Clare was the second son o ...

(c. 1100–1148), Anglo-Norman earl * Gilbert de la Porrée or Gilbertus Porretanus (1070–1154), French scholastic logician and theologian * Gilbert Doucet (1956–2020), French rugby union player * Gilbert Dragon (1969–2021), Haitian police chief and guerrilla leader *

Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier de La Fayette, Marquis de La Fayette (; 6 September 1757 – 20 May 1834), known in the United States as Lafayette (), was a French military officer and politician who volunteered to join the Conti ...

(1757–1834), French general and politician who fought in the American Revolution and was involved in the French Revolution * Gilbert Eisner, American fencer * Gilbert John Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound, 4th Earl of Minto, British peer and politician who served as Governor General of Canada, the eighth since Canadian Confederation, and as Viceroy and 17th Governor-General of India *

Gilbert Franklin Gilbert Alfred Franklin (1919–2004) was an English-born American sculptor and educator. He was active in Providence, Rhode Island, Providence, Rhode Island and Wellfleet, Massachusetts, Wellfleet, Massachusetts; and was best known for his public ...

(1919–2004), American sculptor, educator. *

Gilbert Gottfried Gilbert Jeremy Gottfried (February 28, 1955 – April 12, 2022) was an American stand-up comedian and actor, best-known for his exaggerated shrill voice, strong New York dialect, his squint, and his edgy, often-controversial, sense of humor. Hi ...

(1955–2022), American actor and stand-up comedian * Gilbert Greenall (born 1954), UN humanitarian advisor * Gilbert Gress (born 1941), French football coach and former football player *

Gil Hodges Gilbert Raymond Hodges (born Hodge; April 4, 1924 – April 2, 1972) was an American first baseman and manager (baseball), manager in Major League Baseball (MLB) who played most of his 18-year career for the History of the Brooklyn Dodgers, Broo ...

(1924–1972), American baseball player * Gilbert von In der Maur (1887–1959), Austrian SS leader and journalist * Gilbert Khunwane (born 1977), Batswana boxer * Gilbert Levin (1924–2021), American engineer * Gilbert Mamery (1927–2003), Puerto Rican disc-jockey, musicologist, radio station owner, radio and television personality, marketing impresario, and composer * Gilbert Marouani (1933–2016), Tunisian-born music producer and agent *

Gilbert Melendez Gilbert Melendez (born April 12, 1982) is an American mixed martial artist who formerly competed in the Lightweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). He is a two-time Strikeforce Lightweight Champion and a former WEC Lightwei ...

(born 1982), American mixed martial artist * Gilbert Hugh Murdoch, Canadian politician * Gilbert Daniel Nessim (born 1966), chemistry professor at Bar-Ilan University *

Gilbert O'Sullivan Raymond Edward "Gilbert" O'Sullivan (born 1 December 1946) is an Irish singer-songwriter who achieved his most significant success during the early 1970s, with hits including " Alone Again (Naturally)", " Clair" and "Get Down". His songs are of ...

(born 1946), stage name of Irish musician Raymond Edward O'Sullivan * Gilbert Ouy (1924–2011), French historian, palaeographer and librarian * Gilbert E. Patterson (1939–2007), American Pentecostal clergyman * Gilbert Pena (born 1949), Texas politician * Gilbert Reaney (1924–2008), English musicologist * Gilbert Rozon (born 1954), Canadian impresario *

Gilbert Stuart Gilbert Stuart ( Stewart; December 3, 1755 – July 9, 1828) was an American painter born in the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, Rhode Island Colony who is widely considered one of America's foremost portraitists. His best-k ...

(1755–1828), American painter * Gilbert Tosetti (1879–1923), English cricketer * Gilbert Tuhabonye (born 1974), American long-distance runner * Gilbert Van Binst (1951–2025), Belgian footballer * Gilbert F. White (1911–2006), American geographer

Fictional characters

* Gilbert, a cat in the Canadian children's television series ''

Caillou ''Caillou'' ( ; , stylized in lowercase) is an animated educational children's television series that aired on Teletoon (both English and French versions) with the first episode airing on the former channel on September 15, 1997 until the fou ...

'' * Gilbert, an anthropomorphic globe from ''

Don't Hug Me I'm Scared ''Don't Hug Me I'm Scared'' (''DHMIS'') is a British surrealist adult puppet musical horror comedy web series created by Becky Sloan and Joe Pelling. The series is notable for its blending of surrealism and morbid humour with horror and musi ...

'' * Gilbert Bates, a recurring character in the television series ''

Leave It to Beaver ''Leave It to Beaver'' is an American television sitcom that follows the misadventures of a suburban boy, his family and his friends. It starred Barbara Billingsley, Hugh Beaumont, Tony Dow and Jerry Mathers. CBS first broadcast the show ...

'' * Gilbert Beilschmidt, the human name of the personification of Prussia in the anime series '' Hetalia: Axis Powers'' *

Gilbert Blythe Gilbert Blythe is a character in Canadian author Lucy Maud Montgomery's ''Anne of Green Gables'' series of novels. Character description Gilbert is described in the books as being very handsome with brown, curly hair and hazel eyes. He is tall wi ...

, a character in the novel series ''Anne of Green Gables'' by Lucy Maud Montgomery * Gilbert Bougainvillea, a major in the Leidenschaftlich army from the anime and manga '' Violet Evergarden'' * Gilbert Cocteau, one of the main characters of the manga series ''

Kaze to Ki no Uta is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Keiko Takemiya. It was serialized in the manga magazine '' Shūkan Shōjo Comic'' from 1976 to 1980, and in the manga magazine '' Petit Flower'' from 1981 to 1984. One of the earliest ...

'' * Gilbert Dauterive, the cousin of the Bill Dauterive in the animated television series ''

King of the Hill ''King of the Hill'' is an American animated sitcom created by Mike Judge and Greg Daniels that initially aired on Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox from January 12, 1997, to September 13, 2009, with four more episodes airing in First-run syndicati ...

'' * Gilbert Grape, the eponymous character of the 1993 film ''

What's Eating Gilbert Grape ''What's Eating Gilbert Grape'' is a 1993 American List of coming-of-age stories, coming-of-age drama film directed by Lasse Hallström, and starring Johnny Depp, Juliette Lewis, Mary Steenburgen, Leonardo DiCaprio, John C. Reilly and Darlene Cat ...

'' *

Gil Grissom Gilbert Arthur Grissom (born August 17, 1956), Ph.D. is a fictional character portrayed by William Petersen on the CBS crime drama '' CSI: Crime Scene Investigation'' and its sequel, '' CSI: Vegas''. Grissom is a forensic entomologist and for t ...

, a forensic entomologist in the television series ''CSI: Crime Scene Investigation'' * Gibert Huph, a character in the 2004

Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...

Pixar Pixar (), doing business as Pixar Animation Studios, is an American animation studio based in Emeryville, California, known for its critically and commercially successful computer-animated feature films. Pixar is a subsidiary of Walt Disney ...

animated Animation is a filmmaking technique whereby image, still images are manipulated to create Motion picture, moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on cel, transparent celluloid sheets to be photographed and e ...

film ''

The Incredibles ''The Incredibles'' is a 2004 American animated superhero film written and directed by Brad Bird. Produced by Pixar Animation Studios for Walt Disney Pictures, the film stars the voices of Craig T. Nelson, Holly Hunter, Sarah Vowell, Spencer ...

'' * Gilbert G.P. Guilford, the commander of the Glaston Knights in the anime series ''

Code Geass , often referred to as ''Code Geass'', is a Japanese anime television series produced by Sunrise. It was directed by Gorō Taniguchi and written by Ichirō Ōkouchi, with original character designs by Clamp. Set in an ...

'' * Gilbert Markham, the principal narrator of the novel ''

The Tenant of Wildfell Hall ''The Tenant of Wildfell Hall'' is the second and final novel written by English author Anne Brontë. It was first published in 1848 under the pseudonym Acton Bell. Probably the most shocking of the Brontës' novels, it had an instant and phe ...

'' by Anne Brontë * Gilbert Nightray, a character in the manga and anime series ''

Pandora Hearts ''Pandora Hearts'' (stylized as ''PandoraHearts'') is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Jun Mochizuki. It was serialized in Square Enix's manga magazine '' Monthly GFantasy'' from May 2006 to March 2015, with its chapters ...

Popularity

England and Wales England and Wales () is one of the Law of the United Kingdom#Legal jurisdictions, three legal jurisdictions of the United Kingdom. It covers the constituent countries England and Wales and was formed by the Laws in Wales Acts 1535 and 1542. Th ...

, Gilbert ranked 64th in popularity in 1904, 72nd in 1914 and 95th in 1924. By 1934 it had dropped out of the Top 100.Popular Baby Names, 1904-1994 (UK Office of National Statistics)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gilbert (Given Name) British Isles given names English masculine given names Masculine given names French masculine given names German masculine given names Dutch masculine given names Given names